The U.S. Border Patrol and airport security under the Department of Homeland Security are excluded from new regulations that would restrict the FBI and other law enforcement agencies from considering religion, national origin and other characteristics during investigations.
A formal announcement on the new regulations is expected in the coming days, but a source told The Associated Press on Friday that the new profiling ban does not include Transportation Security Administration and does not cover inspections at ports of entry and interdictions at border crossings.
The new guidelines, while binding for federal law enforcement, are more flexible for local police officers who are more likely to have day-to-day contact with community members.
The new rules will be a significant final play by outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder, as the national conversation on police racial bias heats up.
“This new guidance will codify our commitment to the very highest standards of fair and effective policing,” Mr. Holder told an audience in Atlanta on Monday night in previewing the announcement, AP reported.
While a ban on routine racial profiling already existed under a 2003 Bush administration policy, the new policy goes beyond the old one, expanding the definition of racial profiling.
But the policy will not end the FBI’s ability to collect racial and ethnic information about neighborhoods, a practice known as “mapping,” AP reported.
“In essence, the guidance is a major improvement, but it’s not sufficient,” Laura Murphy, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington Legislative Office, told AP.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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